Detroit Zoo breaks the ice' on Polk Penguin Conservation Center

Ron Kagan, left, and Stephen Polk perform the ceremonial ice breaking at the media event announcing the new Polk Penguin Conservation Center at the Zoo. LIZ CARNEGIE-FOR THE DAILY TRIBUNE

In its 86 years in Royal Oak, the Detroit Zoo has broken ground on many innovative habitats. The Great Apes of Harambee and the Arctic Ring of Life are two that quickly come to mind. Beginning this summer, the Zoo will embark on a project that will surpass anything ever built on the 125-acre site.

The Polk Penguin Conservation Center, slated to open in late 2015, will house 80 penguins of four different species in a diverse habitat of deep dive pools and nesting areas. Of the four groups of birds, including king, rockhopper and macaroni, the Zoo will introduce the gentoo for the first time at the park.

“It will be an extraordinary and unique experience for our guests,” he said during an “ice breaking” event at the Zoo on Tuesday evening.

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Initial construction of the $29.5 million facility is being made possible by Detroit Zoological Society Vice Chairman Stephen Polk and his family, who have donated $10 million to the venture. The grant from the Polk Family Fund is the largest amount ever contributed to an exhibit in the history of the Zoo. Additional money from the William Davidson Foundation Fund, individuals, corporations, family foundations, and the Detroit Zoological Society Board have helped fund the development of the project. A total of $4.3 million is yet to be raised.

At the groundbreaking ceremony, Kagan and Polk swung ice axes at a wall of ice, which shattered on impact to reveal an ice-carved rendering of the PPCC.

The exhibit centerpiece will be a 326,000 gallon, 25-feet-deep dive pool where visitors can watch the birds deep-water dive, a view of penguins rarely observed either in captivity or the wild.

Dr. Bill Fraser, an ecologist who is president and lead investigator for the Polar Oceans Research Group, said the depth of the pool mimics the birds’ foraging range. Fraser, who has studied Antarctic seabirds for over 34 years, came to the project as a habitat design consultant.

“Twenty five feet is within the range of where they feed,” Fraser said. “I’ve seen most of the other exhibits, and in my opinion, this is very state-of-the-art. Honestly, in terms of captive birds, this is probably as good as it gets.”

Design of the building, created by Disney Animal Kingdom architects Jones & Jones (who also designed the Zoo’s popular Arctic Ring of Life), and by renowned Detroit based Albert Kahn Associates, will resemble the horizontal patterns of a tabular iceberg with a crevasse and waterfall.

The entry plaza will include a water feature that will be a splash area in the summer and a skating rink in winter. Once guests are inside the habitat, effects such as an arctic blast and snow will suggest the harsh natural environment of Antarctica.

All of the penguins who will reside in the habitat will be coming from other zoos that either have a surplus of birds or are breeding birds specifically for the center.

The project is expected to create more than 100 engineering, building, and design jobs for the duration of the construction period. Upon the completion of the center, the Zoo estimates its revenues will increase by $2 million annually, and a have a potential regional economic impact of $10 million per year.